SnowDrift
by Behind Your Cover
Summary: Sidestory to Gramarye's The Dark Shall Fall. Delving a tad deeper into the loss of Will's parents; written in 2003.


SnowDrift

* * *

Another freezing winter; it was obvious this early into the season. It was the whole talk of the bus-ride back from the Slough, and Will had even annexed a few animated comments of his own into the light conversation. It was a nice relief from the sullen silence that had over taken his home over the past few weeks, as hard as his sisters had tried. Without his mother bustling in the kitchen and his father's calming voice, the Stanton family just was not a family anymore.

It was falling apart. The whole dream that was Will's family was falling apart at the very seams and with all his knowledge and power he was beginning to see he really was only a little boy. He was an ambivalent and frightened sixteen-year-old boy and he couldn't stop his family from collapsing with the loss of his parents.But he was the youngest. Stephen was the oldest—he would have known what to do. But unfortunately......Unfortunately, he was not with them anymore, either. Though, Max and the twins were trying their damnedest in his stead.His stomach felt like it was in his toes; it was beginning to be a common feeling to him, feeling sick. He held the parcels close to him as he walked, forcing himself to hum what to anyone would be a cheerful sounding carol.He disliked being alone as of late; he didn't like the silence. Though that was very soon to change, for now he was a boy who was afraid to remember things that oughtn't to have happened in the first place.And if he had not written that bloody letter..."What are you thinking about, Sign-Seeker?" said a soft female voice behind him, coated in false indifference.A short-lived wind kicked up, throwing ice-crystals against his cheeks, stinging and burning them, "Nothing of importance to the Guardian of the Gate of Time. Are you allowed to be here?" the response sounded tired, though most likely meant to be dripping with sarcasm, and morose."Will..." the woman started.The teenage boy that was not a teenage boy sighed, "I know what you are going to say, Setsuna.""You might," Sailor Pluto answered, still calm and fair, patient. "And you might have no clue at all." She paused, as if waiting for Will to comment, or turn around and tell her to get lost.But Will only sighed in response, his shoulders sagging in defeat.After a period of awkward silence Setsuna took a step towards the young man, then paused deciding it wasn't best; "Does it make you feel human?"The youngest of the Old Ones made no move to answer.Setsuna nearly winced. Never before had she ever let herself say anything so tactless as that. That statement, she could tell, would have very prompt repercussions; if not by the Old One's inevitable reply, then her own superfluous guilt.When she realized that said reply would not be coming, the Guardian of the Gate sighed and began to speak, "Will, do you want...""No," Will said quickly, pleading, "No... I have a few moments, the bus was early. Stay with me a bit longer?"Setsuna smiled genuinely when he turned his face finally to look her directly in the eye. His gray-blue eyes were far more shadowed and dark than usual; it disturbed her, to see someone who had been previously so collected and cool so tormented.Before Setsuna had known what had happened, hands were covering those eyes from her, and the parcels they had formerly held tightly were falling onto the snow in front of him with sharp thumps. Will soon followed, descending to his knees less then gracefully."Will..." She slowly closed the space between the two of them with unsure steps."Why...? I just don't understand... How could I have been so stupid?""There... was nothing you could have done," said Meioh Setsuna almost rigidly. Despite her tone, she made her way to her knees to put a hand on one of the shaking shoulders. This gesture earned a sob from owner of said shoulder and Setsuna's eyes filled with worry."If I had not written that letter! That damned letter!" he was sobbing."What...?"Will shook his head to clear it, though his words were still broken and separated by hiccups and wails, "It gave Mother a reason to come home early; if I had not told her I had missed her so very much, they wouldn't have gotten on the plane...." The rest of what he said was too incoherent for Sailor Pluto to understand.She shushed him, falling into a motherly position, stroking his back and embracing him. But what she had to say was none comforting, "It was the best choice.""The best choice?" Will repeated in a half-shout, half-laugh, turning to face the Senshi; "The best choice. Compared to what exactly, Setsuna, pray tell?""Will, it was the best for-"The youngest Old One would not be swayed; "The best for who? Me? Is that what you think?""You do not know what the other choices were Sign-Seeker," she said rather too coldly, "You haven't a faintest idea of what could have happened. You think you've been wronged by fate; you think that you-""Setsuna."She stopped. All at once Will not only sounded old, but looked old, wearing an expression no child growing into adulthood should bare.Even if that child growing into adulthood was Will Stanton, immortal."No matter what you think," she continued in a soft voice, "it could have been much, much worse.""If you say so, Sailor Pluto.""You are going to be frozen if you stay down here much longer, Will Stanton," Setsuna said calmly, "Come, stand up, Old One."Will numbly stood with Setsuna's hand under his elbow. She gathered the parcels, which she remarked to herself were quite heavy to carry like that such a way, and handed them back to Will."Setsuna...""Yes, Sign-Seeker?""About your question."Setsuna opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when Will's broken pout abruptly switched to a meek smile, mostly likely as much the child could manage. It lit up his whole face that made the woman's heart skip a beat in joy. He said:"Yes. It does make me feel more human; though I'm unsure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.""That's a good thing, Will." She said softly, "We all need to feel human at some point or another." 


End file.
